Party Night
by Pyjamas
Summary: The ring spirit never fails to get the better of Ryou.


**Title: **Party Night  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yugioh.  
**Notes: **I've wanted to write more Ryou centric stuff for a while now, but I've lacked things to write about him. However, right now the girl next door to me is having a party and I can hear it and it inspired me. I ought to go to bed, but I don't really want to. Besides, I'd never be able to sleep with that racket.

* * *

It was late on a winter night. Ryou had essays to write, and practice exam papers to do. Rain pattered lightly on his window as he reached for a jumper to wear over his shirt; it was almost too cold to concentrate. He couldn't afford to stop concentrating at such a crucial time, before exams.

But it was so hard, especially with the dull, monotonous thump of next door's music reverberating through his room and so easily keeping him distracted. He tapped his pen on the desk, trying to think about encoding in long-term memory instead of the party on the other side of the wall.

_Didn't you want to go, Landlord?_

He didn't have any desire to be there; a throbbing mass of drunken teenagers stinking of smoke with their hands all over each other wasn't his idea of a good time. He liked reading and taking walks, enjoyed looking at beautiful scenery and pieces of art. The party environment was not meant for him.

However, that didn't make the wound any shallower when the host had invited him a few days earlier, trying to be polite and at the same time clearly hoping that Ryou would refuse. It wasn't deliberate unkindness; it was just the way things had to be.

_Of course; you've never been one for asserting yourself, have you?_

Ryou wasn't going to impose himself on people who didn't want him around. And he wouldn't have enjoyed himself either way.

Despite this, there was still a tiny bitterness in the furthest corners of his mind. It didn't seem fair that these events, tarnished with all manner of vulgarity and unpleasantness, were supposed to be the best part of a teenager's life, and he was never going to experience them. Even though it was his own choice, it was still a little saddening.

_You just can't bear the fact that they despise you._

The rain pelted against the window more ferociously, but still failed to block out the thudding bass and the regular roar of laughter. Ryou had been trying to ignore the voice – if it could even be called that – as he always did but, like every other time, it had known which buttons to push to elicit a response. That last remark had stung.

"They don't despise me."

_But they do, don't you see?_

Ryou clicked his pen on the desk, struggling now to stay focused.

_You do see. You just don't want to. You're a coward, Landlord._

He didn't have to listen to this. He would finish his essay and go to bed; the rest could be done another day. It was already so late and he should have gone to sleep hours ago, but at least this way he could look forward to lying in the next morning and hopefully he would have forgotten about the party by then.

The cruel laughter he heard ought to have been expected, but still it managed to both startle and disturb him. He doubted he would ever hear anybody else laugh with such malice and mockery, and he winced at the tone that followed.

_The irony is that the party will keep you awake! And if it doesn't, I'll can think of more than one way in which to keep you awake myself. You'll need to produce a better plan than that, Landlord._

The lamp shook as Ryou's head made sharp contact with the desk, and the laughter sounded again. He would sleep, Ryou vowed. And he would sleep peacefully, undisturbed by taunting voices and teenage parties. He would take sedatives if he had to. But he would not allow this _thing_ to get the better of him.

Even as he made this promise he felt himself stand, not of his own accord, and he tried to move towards his bed. But his body refused to obey him, the cold and loneliness having taken full effect and the voice having taken control.

_Let's scrap the plan, shall we? I've got a better one. _

His feet led him out of his room, and he was taken to the front door. He was helpless against it, still seeing through his own eyes but no longer being the one who chose where to look.

_You wish to sleep, and I've been craving some good entertainment all day. Perhaps we can satisfy both our needs._

He was walked outside with quick and purposeful strides, and found himself at the door to the party. All he could do was watch as he raised his fist to knock firmly.

_The celebration ends now, Landlord. The beings in this place are going to suffer. Those I do not kill will be begging for release into the next world; or rather, they would if I wasn't planning to remove their tongues._

Ryou realised too late the situation he was in, and panicked at the lack of options left open to him. He tried to run, but by then the spirit was in his element; he had teased himself with talk of bloodshed and slaughter, and would now stop at nothing until his sick fantasies had been fulfilled.

A girl answered the door, bottle in hand and giggling, oblivious to the imminent horror that she and the rest of the guests were about to be subjected to. Ryou wanted to warn her but now such a thing was impossible; and all she had time to see was the sadistic leer of the ring spirit before he watched himself drive his fingernails into the girl's eyes.

_Sit back and enjoy. I'll make this a night to remember._

And there was nothing that he could do.


End file.
